• SI.com's own Adrian Dater reports the NHL and NHLPA are studying reports of Ambien abuse among the league's sleep-deprived players. Abuse of the drug was linked to the death of enforcer Derek Boogaard.

• Brad Richards has lost his swagger in New York, and while there's still time to salvage his season, Larry Brooks wonders if the highly-compensated center might be a candidate for a contract buyout this summer. Seems crazy on the surface, but with the cap going down and Richards not living up to his deal, it's probably been discussed.

• Ryan Suter is starting to find his mojo in Minnesota. He's had plenty of time to work out the kinks: he's played more than 30 minutes four times this season, including Thursday night against Edmonton.

• More from Dater, who said Colorado's performance in a loss to the Kings evoked the legendary ineptitude of the Washington Generals. I was surprised to read that Paul Stastny was going into a slump. I hadn't realized he'd actually pulled out of the one that he's been in for the last 18 months.

• There are jokes, there are bad jokes, and then there's this: Three North Dakota students dressed up as members of the KKK for a high school hockey game.